  
PICTURES COURTESY OF DAVID OHASHI
Thanks to all our Visitors, Exhibitors, Presenters, Sponsors and Volunteers
for making Canada Blooms' 18th annual festival a "WILD!" success, we couldn’t have done it without you! This year over 202,000 visitors joined us at the co-located 2014 Canada Blooms Festival and National Home Show which included: 22 beautiful feature gardens which ranged from balcony showcases to wildlife trails and included the RE/MAX "Get Curbalicious" gardens and Earthscape Dinosaur Preserve. Canada Blooms 2014 showcased stunning displays by Professional Florists, imaginative entries in the Toronto Flower Show which included both regional and international entries, the New Plant and Product Showcase highlighted the news plant varieties, bulbs and products, the Green Marketplace, and over 200 hours of free lectures and demonstrations on 3 stages: the Unilock Celebrity Stage presented by HGTV and Valleyview Gardens, the Garden Solutions and Master Gardeners Educational Series and the Learning Stage.
Thanks again for a great event and mark your calendars for next year: March 13-22, 2015. |
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  Thanks to the generosity of Valleyview Gardens, the Unilock Celebrity Stage presented by HGTV and Valleyview Gardens was an awe-inspiring tropical paradise. Plants consisted of ornamental bamboo originally from East Asia, Draceana Song of India, a tropical tree native to Madagascar, Mauritius, and other islands in the Indian Ocean; Kimberly ferns, which originated in Australia; and mass plantings of large leafed colourful Croton Magnificent, Neon Algerian Ivy, and variegated Ginger which is native to tropical Asia. The  stage, a mass of bromeliads of all sizes, and variegated pineapple, all in the yellows, blues, greens and pinks completed our wild tropical stage.
Larry Varlese, owner of Valleyview Gardens, and his team worked with Canada Blooms to come up with a concept for the stage. Upon delivery of the plants at the Direct Energy Centre, the team was very active in the placement of the plant material in order to highlight the colours and textures of the different plants. Thank you, Larry and the team for your great work and generosity! |
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The winner of the Judge's Choice for Best Overall Garden is "REWilding" by Parklane Nurseries "REwilding" also won the Gordon A. MacEachern Award for Oustanding Garden, large size, the Humber Nurseries Award for Best Overall use of Plant Material and Outstanding Use of Interior Plants.
The winner of the Universal Access Award  presented by the City of Toronto was "Come Alive Outside" by Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association with the Scott Wentworth Landscaping Group. Honourable mentions in this category also went to "Wild About Stone" by Near North Hardscapes and "Vibrant Urban Wilderness" by Creative Garden Designs & Hollander Landscaping. For a list of all the feature garden award winners click here.
Pictures courtesy of David Ohashi |
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 Thank you to a wonderful line up of incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic speakers and presenters. From Paul Zammit and Damian Adjodha's Edible Gardens to Owen Reeve's Trees, From Niki Jabbour's Ground Breaking Food Gardens to Miriam Goldberger's Wildflowers, Frank Ferragine's Power Plants to Mark Cullen & Denis Flanagan's Irish Gardens. We saw presenters both locally and from across Canada: Ken Beattie presented by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, Rob Sproule, Crystal Godfrey, Charlie Dobbin, Carlo Balisteri, Sandra Pella, Carson Arthur and many more. Thanks also to the sponsors of the Stages and  Education Series: Unilock, HGTV, Master Gardeners of Ontario, Toronto Botanical Garden and Royal Botanical Gardens.
Thanks to pickOntario for providing the flowers for Albert Graves and the Floral Superstars.
Special thanks to Tourism Ireland who helped us celebrate St. Patrick's Day as only the Irish can.
Thanks to the workshop instructors for helping to plan our special programs: Mark Trusz (Photography), Jennifer Harvey (Celebrate with Flowers & Bring Your Garden Inside), Ashley Waltho of the Canadian Institute of Floral Design (Creative Centrepieces), and Tracy McAllister (Fairy Gardens), Fairygardening.com, Heritage Perennials for the generous donation of kits and plants for our workshop. |
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 We would like to extend a special thank you to Tena Van Andel, Claudette Sims, Gwen Rattle, Suzanne Zacharczyk and the members of the Master Gardeners of Ontario for all their hard work in helping to create a unique horticulture experience at Canada Blooms. Wearing many hats, you might have seen the dedicated volunteers as they offered garden tips and how-to ideas at their advice clinic. Or perhaps you took an early morning tour with a knowledgeable Master Gardener guide, enjoyed one of their many lectures or presentations as part of our educational line up or maybe you enjoyed one-on-one advice on Sit Down Sunday where guests enjoyed twenty minutes with their very own Master Gardener. If you didn't have a chance to take advantage of these devoted and enthusiastic gardeners, then start planning now for next year!
Thank you also to Rodger Tschanz and the University of Guelph as well as Charlie Dobbin for helping organize and provide plants for our first annual Plant Challenge. |
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 Critical Listing comes to the rescue with hand-picked projects and ideas that help you sell your home for top dollar. Watch the Critical Listing team turn a homeowner’s small investment into upwards of $100,000 added value. Budget isn’t the only challenge; these homes must also sell as soon as possible. Can we do it?
Property expert Lisa Colalillo, interior and exterior pros Jo Alcorn and Carson Arthur know they can! They choose projects that will make the most impact on buyers once the “for sale” sign goes up. However, as with any home renovation large or small they often find more to fix than meets the eye. And this means coming up with last minute solutions at a time when money’s running out!
In spite of the challenges Critical Listing’s not all about work. Jo and Carson share a friendly rivalry as they grapple with their piece of the homeowners’ small budget. Lisa keeps them on track, but is also quick to join in on the fun with her infectious laughter. That is until she reassesses the home and we learn it can be sold for the price the owners need to seal the deal on their new home! Don't Miss Critical Listing Mondays on HGTV.
Special thanks to Black & Decker who provided the door prize for one of our lucky visitors during Carson's appearance at Canada Blooms. |
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Floral Exhibition: April 25-27
Reception: Friday April 25, 5:00-9:00pm
One weekend only! Stunning large-scale floral installations designed by some of Toronto’s best floral designers, bring the beauty of spring, and the Gardiner’s collection, to life in an entirely new way. The Gardiner Shop will also feature a curated presentation of one-of-a-kind studio ceramics with a focus on Canadian artists.
SPRING AWAKENING RECEPTION
Friday April 25 5:00 - 9:00 pm
Join The Honourable David C. Onley (Lieutenant Governor of Ontario), Senator Nicole Eaton and Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, as they open the Spring Awakening: Gardiner in Bloom weekend and celebrate our 30th Anniversary year. Included with Admission Price.
SPRING AWAKENING SEMINAR SESSIONS
Saturday April 26
Facilitators: Real Eguchi, Barbara Flanagan-Eguchi, Marlise Akazawa-Eguchi, Patricia Kambitsh,
Margaret Taylor & Sue Clarkson
AWAKENING OUR INNER WILD: COLLABORATIVE GARDEN DESIGN EXERCISE | 10:30 am – 12 pm
CELEBRATE SPRING DEMONSTRATION | 1 – 2:30 pm
SPRING BOUQUET WORKSHOP | 3 – 4:30 pm
Full-day, morning and afternoon rates available.
For ticketing and more information visit gardinermuseum.com
Special to Canada Blooms subscribers: Enjoy 2 for 1 Museum entrance April 25-27, 2014
click and print your coupon |
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Grow Op, An Exhibition Exploring Landscape and Place presented by the Gladstone Hotel
April 24-27, 2014
Using video, sound performance, participatory experience, photography, animal parts, new media, the human body and more, the 2nd annual Grow Op alternative landscape exhibition presents more than 25 new works and programs to help us understand our cities and their relationship to the land.
On Saturday 5-8pm in the hotel Ballroom, Grow Op presents Equinosh - A Tale of Two Counties in collaboration with Chef Jamie Kennedy/Jamie Kennedy Kitchens, Chef Miriam Streiman/Mad Maple Country Inn and Chef Mario Paz/Gladstone Hotel. This will be an edible pop up experience celebrating the landscape and artisanal growers and producers from Simcoe / Grey Bruce County and Prince Edward County and is not to be missed. Visit the website for show times and more show details.
North American Native Plant Society Annual Spring Native Plant Sale is open to the public and will take place on Saturday, May 10th, 2014 (10 am to 3 pm) in the Atrium of the Markham Civic Centre (101 Town Centre Boulevard; near Warden Ave. and Highway 7). Visit the website for more information. |
If you have an upcoming garden related event that is of interest to our readers let us know at info@canadablooms.com and we might include it in upcoming issues of our newsletter.
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